Connector.



W. G. BANKS.

CONNECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1913.

' 1, 1 1 1,782, Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

W/fiif: I I INVENTOR I j? y ATTORNEYS To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. BANKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 1'0 N-W EQUIPMENT (10., INO., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

, Specification 0! letters latent.

CONNECTOR.

Application filed July 29, 1918. Serial No. 781,778.

Be it known that I, VVILLIAMI C, BANKS,

a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Bronx, city and State of New York, have invented certain new ,and useful Improvements in Connectors, (Case A,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrical con- Doctors and has reference particularly to a special form of connector whereby connection may be made to the third rail or one of the running rails of an electrical railway system.

In electric railway systems, it is frequently necessary to .work on the roadway at night or in dark places, such as tunnels, and to secure illumination for such work it is common to take current from one of the supply .wires or the third rail of the .system. Heretofcre difficulty has been experienced in making the connection to the third rail and the return connection to the running rail, this having been done by twisting the end of a conductor around a bolt employed in connection with the rails or in some other manner of a similar character.

- In accordance with the present invention, a connector of special form 1s provided for eflecting connection to'a rail, this connector being soconstructed that the connection can .be quickly efi'ected and so that good electrical contact is -made. The connector is so constructed that it may be used with rails varying'in size over a substantial range. Furthermore the connector is so constructed as to provide for a fuse whereby the lamps employed are protected against the'flow of an abnormally large current.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a view of the connector, partly in section and partly in elevation, showing the same attached to a rail, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the connector and rail, the rail and a. portion of the connector being in section, Fig.3 is a detail view of a portion of the connector and Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring to these drawings, 5 indicates a rail of an electric railway system, either the third rail supplying current to the system 'or one of the running rails. The connector comprises a body-portion 6 made of metal and shaped to provide an engaging surface 7 adapted to engage the flange of the rail 5 at one side thereof. The bodyportion 6 has a member slidab ly mounted thereon and shaped so as to engage the opposite side of the flange of the rail. This member is here shown in the form of a hook 8 bent to provide an engaging surface 9.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

The shank of the hook is arranged to slide in openings provided for it in the bodyportion 6 of the connector. A spring 10 is coiled about the shank of the hook 8 between one of the parts of the body-portion 6 and a pin 11. Preferably the shank of the hook is provided with" a lengthwise slot through which extends a pin 12 on the body-portion 6 so as to prevent turning of the hook in the openings provided for it in the body-portion 6f The body-portion 6 of the connector has an annular boss 13 formed integral therewith, this boss being eXteriorly-threaded.as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. A tube of insulating material 14 fits snugly within this boss I 13 and extends beyond the same as shown in Fig. l. A hollow handle 15 is detachably I connected to the body-portion 6 of the con- 'nector, this handle being provided with a thread upon its interior surface for coaction with the thread on the boss 13. This handle ismade of insulating materialand because of its connection to the body-portion 6 which supports the hook 8, the connector may be conveniently manipulated by means of this handle. The handle is also arranged to inclose a removable fuse which is connected in circuit when the connector is applied to a rail. For this purpose, the handle 15 is provided with a contact 16 located Within the interior of the handle against a transverse interior wall of the handle as shown in Figs;

1 and 2. This contact ,16 has a threaded stem 17 integrally connected therewith and threaded to receive a nut 18 by which. the

end of a conductor 19 is connected to the upon the thread on the hos "13. Asthe handle is thus tightened up, the contact 16 en- .gages one end of the fuse 20 so as to make of spring 10 until the surface 7 may be applied to the other edge of the fiange of the rail in the manner shown in Fig. l and then relaxing on the pull upon handle so that the two engaging surfaces come together against opposite sides of the flange. Elec' trical connection is then made from the rail to the hook 8 and body-portion 6, through the fuse to the contact 16 and through the stem 17 tothe conductor 19. Fromv this conductor the current passes through the lamps in series to a similar conductor which has a connector like that above described at its end, this coniiector being adapted to be connected to one of the run-- ning rails in the manner above described.

It will be seen that with this conductor good electrical connection may be made to a third railor a running rail very quickly. Also the connection for supplying current to the lamps is rovided with a fuse to protect it and this use may be readily removed and replaced when burned out. 5 Having described my invention, what 1 claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A connector comprising a metallic and in electrical contact therewith, a spring acting on the hook and tending to move it toward said surface, a hollow handle of insulating material interiorly-threaded for detachably mounting it on said boss, a contact stationarily mounted within the handle and a fuse inclosed by the handle and engaging said contact and said body-portion, substantially as set forth.

2. A connector 'comprising a metallic body-portion having an engaging surface and an annular, exteriorly-threaded boss, a hook slidably mounted on the body-portion and in electrical contact therewith, a spring acting on the hook and tending to move it toward said surface, a tube of insulating material extending within the boss, a fuse in said tube, a hollow handle of insulatin material inclosing said fuse and tube an interiorly-threaded to coact with said thread 011 the boss and a contact mounted within the handle in position to engage one end of the fuse and force the other end thereof into engagement with the body-portion, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this day of July, 1913.

WM. C. BANKS.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. HACK, CHAS. W. Sco'r'r. 

